It Ain't Easy
by AnisaLee
Summary: Kurt, Blaine and Burt are at the tire store when Burt receives an unexpected visitor: Paul Karofsky.  Gapfiller.  Takes place probably a week or so after 3X14 ended.  May contain triggers.


A/N: Contains straight forward talk of suicide.

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><p>Burt heard the faint jingle of the bell from his place in the shop, signifying a customer had arrived. He quickly wiped his hands on an old towel draped over his shoulder and tossed it onto the nearest surface before striding up to the counter.<p>

"Can I help y...Mr. Karofsky," Burt tried not to gasp.

"It's Paul, please," Paul shifted. Burt could see delicate swollen skin surrounding red rimmed eyes probably caused by sleeplessness and crying.

"Paul, I'm real sorry about your son," Burt stated gently.

Paul physically blanched before nodding, "Thank you."

"How can I help you?" Burt went on.

"I don't... I'm not here about my car," Paul rubbed a tired eye.

"Then why are you here?"

"I...Burt, how do you...how do you handle having a..._homosexual_ son?"

Burt tried not to let his face give away his shock. He wasn't sure of the motivation behind David's suicide attempt; Kurt respected David's privacy and hadn't revealed a whole lot of details surrounding the attempt. "David's gay?"

"I thought everyone knew. It's all over those damned Facebook sites," Paul cringed. "It's all over the internet."

"I don't go online much," Burt shrugged sympathetically.

"Your kid's gay. I mean he's one of those _effeminate gays_ and he's doing okay. Right?"

Burt chose to ignore Paul's crude classification of Kurt. "Yeah, he's doing good."

"So why can't David be okay?"

"Paul -"

"I found him," Paul went on, not hearing Burt. "I went to go check on him because he didn't answer his mom when she called for dinner. And there he was. I just...there was my baby. My son. I don't understand. All because he's gay? I... how do you do it? What do you do?"

Burt took a deep breath and motioned for them to sit in the small waiting area. "I think the only thing you can do is love and support your kid unconditionally."

"Did Kurt ever..."

_Try to kill himself?_ Burt shook his head, grateful he'd never had to be in Paul Karofsky's place. Grateful that he'd never had to _find_ Kurt. "I admit, it was always a constant fear for me."

"So why did David do it? How could he...why couldn't he just...keep it to himself?" Paul desperately wanted to know. "He knew what kids are like."

"He shouldn't have to hide who he is," Burt stated.

"No, but after he saw what Kurt went through...I blame myself. Maybe if I just-"

"Kids hide things. They're really good at putting on a brave face," Burt interjected. "Kurt did it for almost two years."

Paul nodded. "We've thrown out all his belts and locked up razor blades and knives. Anything that he could hurt himself with has been destroyed or locked away. So, what do I do now?"

Burt felt his heart drop at how lost Paul sounded and couldn't help to think that could have been him. He could have been the one sitting there wondering how to even begin to help his son.

"I'm trying. I used to think that…the gays were always _the gays_. They didn't affect my life. But when David woke up after he tried…he told us he was gay, it was too much. His mom wants to send him to one of those camps," Paul took a deep, shuddering breath. "The one's that'll cure him from being gay. Maybe it'll help him cope."

"Or fuck him up even more," Burt hadn't meant to say it aloud. He quickly cleared his throat. "I don't think there's a cure for being gay. I look at my son and I see so much to be proud of. Kurt being gay and brave enough to be out is one of those things. There's nothing to be cured of because he's perfect," Burt said honestly.

"And that's great for you but…David wrapped a belt around his neck. He put on his best suit and he wrapped a fucking belt around his neck. I found him in his closet. How does anyone come back from that?" Paul begged and Burt knew he wanted some answer that would make everything okay. An answer that no one could give except David.

They sat quietly for a second. Both men grieving and wondering how the world could be so cruel. How any of this could happen to any kid. How a kid could even start to heal when the world was so cruel.

"Hey dad, Blaine and I are going to go see Dav...vid," Kurt and Blaine emerged from the office are startling both men. They were holding hands, which was not lost on Paul. His eyes traveled to where their hands melded into one. "Mr. Karofsky," Kurt whispered, surprised to see the older man in the shop.

Paul tore his eyes away from the boys' hands and cleared his throat. "You said you were going to see David?"

"Kurt and I were going to help him look for a new school," Blaine told him, "if that's okay."

"Are you a friend of David's?"

Blaine nodded slightly. "My name's Blaine Anderson."

Paul shifted in his chair. "It's nice to know David has some friends after everything that's happened."

"Absolutely," Kurt said softly. "We'll be back for Friday night dinner," he turned to Burt.

Burt nodded, "Carole's making fried chicken."

"I love Carole's fried chicken," Blaine commented as he and Kurt turned to go.

Burt could almost see Kurt's eyes roll. "She uses Crisco! You know how many calories are in one piece? You're going to end up fat like an oompa lumpa from _Willy Wonka_."

"Can I wear the white overalls?"

"You," they heard Kurt protest lightly followed by the distinct sound of kissing. It faded until shop door closed, leaving silence in its wake.

Paul coughed, "So, Blaine's your son's..."

"Boyfriend." Burt finished for him.

"How long have they been...together?"

Burt shrugged, "Almost a year, I think."

"And you're okay with it? With Kurt being with another man?"

Burt could hear the nervousness and borderline disgust in Paul's voice. "What's the alternative? Kurt's happy. He's probably the happiest I've ever seen him."

"That's all I want for David," Paul admitted. "I just don't know if I can do what you do. I can't imagine my son with another…man. It just – it's hard."

Burt smiled sadly, "I get it. But they're our kids, you know? Like I said, what's the alternative?"

"Thanks," Paul tried to smile back, "I probably should get home."

"Here," Burt pulled a card out of the front pocket of his coveralls. "It's my card. I may not be able to understand everything, but I'm a dad that had to deal with his kid being gay. It ain't easy. I'm going to tell you that right now. Especially with David and everything he's going through. It ain't going to be easy, but it sounds like you're trying."

"Yeah," Paul whispered, standing up. "I just want David to be happy."

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><p>AN: If you are having a hard time, please get help. Please don't suffer in silence. Please don't text and drive. No text message is worth your life!

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Also, as much as I appreciate it, there's really no need to alert on this story. It's a one shot. :) So, instead please review. I cannot tell you how much that means to me. Especially with this strong of subject matter. REVIEW :)


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